Tutorial: Google Play Store and All Apps on Your Windows PC

Some recent all-in-one PCs (we're thinking the HP Slate 21) came with Android instead of Windows and the truth is Android is not robust enough as a full machine OS. Of course, some laptops come with both Windows and Android, but these hybrids have failed on other levels. If you have ever just wanted to have Android on your current machine, complete with the Google Play Store then you can.

Of course, you may already be thinking that this is a daunting task that will require you to have expert levels of computer and mobile know how. That's not the case though and if you follow these easy steps you can be rocking Android on your PC in no time at all. Don't believe us? We followed these steps and it works. The great things is, even the newbie can do this, so let's get started.

And some extra good news, this works on Windows XP/Vista/7/ and of course Windows 8.

Step 1:

Make your way to the Blue Stacks website and hit the download button to pull the app player. From here you will be taken to the download landing page where the file will start downloading, it?s a small 12.8MB file so should take seconds.

Once the file is nestled safely into your Downloads folder on your PC you can go ahead and open it, start the .exe file and follow the very easy instructions for installing the software (Tip. This is essentially the same installation wizard as all downloads, so read every page and follow the instructions.)

Step 3:

We timed the installation run at three minutes on our pretty crummy laptop, of course the time will be different depending on your machine.

Step 4:

Once installed the Blue Stacks app player will open, but will need some time to initialize and start. Again, you will be at the mercy of your PC here.

Step 5:

The app player main hub will now open. Blue Stacks then starts downloading the data and files needed for various app stores, you can wait it out or force this stage. To force it you should click on an app.

A dialogue box will now open that says an app store cannot be found. Press OK and the file will start downloading.

Step 6:

The file will now start updating the Android Market with the box "Android is Upgrading". You can likewise double click the downloading icon in the top left to see how long is left.

Step 7:

With the upgrade finished it is now time to set up your details with the app player and connect with Google Play. That means you will need to have a Google account of course, and then head to All apps > BlueStacks Settings > Advanced Settings > +Add account in the app player and add your Google details. This is the same setup process you would take if you were firing up an Android smartphone or tablet for the first time, so the majority of you will be familiar with it.

Step 8:

Okay, we are finally at the stage of downloading apps, what you are all here for of course. In terms of searching for apps, there is a search icon that can be used to scour Google Play Store, and we recommend sticking with Google's own store. To ensure this, a Play Store button appears under all results, click that button and not the ones on top of the search results. The first time you download an app with this player, it will guide you through a small, easy, and probably unnecessary tutorial, but stick it out; this will include signing into your Google account.

Step 9:

Once you have completed that little setup you are free to go, the Google Play Store will be alive and kicking on your Windows PC. We are sure you know how to download and app. We tried a few, from graphically intensive games to more simply productivity apps and all seem to be working without a problem. As long as you have a solid machine we imagine most apps will run smoothly for you.